


Real Names and Second Chances

by Impala_Chick



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Developing Relationship, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake Marriage - As Part of a Job, Flashbacks, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Mission Fic, Undercover as a Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-21 00:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16565783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: Natasha always thought their marriage was fake, for a job. But then she gets a call on Natalie Rushman's phone. Fury is in critical condition, and she's his emergency contact.





	Real Names and Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reeby10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/gifts).



> This is not the ship I signed up with, but then your prompt really struck me. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Thanks to wingmoon for the plot ideas and the brainstorming/encouragement!

Nat, Steve, and Maria were being escorted to the room where Fury’s dead body had been taken. Natasha wanted to face this alone, but Steve wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Maria, although she kept her distance. 

“How did you know?” Steve asked as they walked. Nat was furious that no one from SHIELD had thought to call her, but she knew that wasn’t Steve’s fault, so she wasn’t going to take it out on him. 

“I am… was his emergency contact,” she said as they headed down a narrow, deserted hospital corridor. The heavy smell of decaying corpses preceded them. She glanced over, and Steve's eyebrow was raised, like he didn’t understand. Nat took a deep breath. Steve had looked almost as scared as Nat was when she arrived at the hospital. So maybe he deserved to know. Besides, this wasn’t something she needed to hide from him. She had only just found out herself. So she kept it simple.

“I am still his wife. It was for a mission. I don’t want to talk about it.”

They arrived at the right room. The nurse pushed open the door, and Natasha didn’t hesitate. She pulled back the white sheet to look at his face. Up until that moment, she hadn’t quite believed it. Fury always knew how to make an exit. But here, seeing him completely untethered from any machine, without blood or cuts or hospital gowns - it shook her. He had left her for real this time. And how like him, that he would carry such a big secret to the grave. 

\---

 **5 years Ago**

Fury had displayed images of their mark, a nuclear engineer, on the big screen in the conference room, and she had already committed the engineer's face to memory. They were going to protect him, not kill him. She enjoyed missions like this. They were generally straightforward, and she liked being a bodyguard. Watch the mark, do everything possible to protect the mark. No moral quandaries in sight. Failure almost certainly meant death, but she had a whole team for back up now. She was going to be rolling with an entire SHIELD contingency when they made their move. The enemy would need a tank to take them all out. 

Fury sat across from her as she looked through the thick case file he had just given to her. It was full of photographs of the engineer, his nuclear weapon designs, the blueprint of the hotel where they would be staying, and the SHIELD safe-house they were going to use. She kept glancing up to catch Fury watching her, but he never tried to redirect his gaze. He didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed, although she had never seen him embarrassed about anything. His eyes were piercing, like he was memorizing her. It was a touch intimidating, but Natasha was careful not to give any outward sign that that was the case. She knew that Fury wasn’t finished with the briefing yet because his hand was laying on the table, covering a thin manila envelope, so she kept on leafing through the file.

She looked up, and met Fury's eye. He had known her a few years now, ever since Clint and SHIELD had allowed her to become someone else. Fury should know by now that he wasn’t going to learn anything about her by looking at her. 

“There’s something else you wanted to tell me.” She wasn’t asking. He smiled, the kind of smile that reached his eye and looked mostly sincere, even though he didn’t show any teeth. He was always pleased when she challenged him. She waited.

“The engineer and his wife will be attending the reception after his lecture, before we pull them out.”

“I know. And then, in the morning, we are taking them out of the country,” Natasha said. She had just listened to the brief. They would split up after they left the hotel, that’s why they were both going. Fury was going to lead the team escorting Mrs. Engineer and Natasha was going to lead the team taking Mr. Engineer, and they’d travel separate routes to meet at the safe house. 

“Okay, and we are going undercover as an American couple. Scientists. There to study. We both know we’re the best SHIELD has, so that’s why I picked us to do this,” Fury continued. She knew that already, too. Going undercover was nothing knew. She raised her eyebrow, not understanding why he was rehashing this information. 

He pushed on. “Well, we have to submit a marriage license as part of our visa package.” He scratched his head, but it was his voice that gave him away. He was speaking hesitantly, like he was worried about how she would receive what he was saying.

“So? Forge it. You’ve got an entire organization for that sort of thing.” She shrugged and got up from the table, taking the folder with her. She couldn’t help but think there was something else Fury was asking her, something he was afraid to just come right out and say. But she didn’t feel inclined to help him find the words. Being a master of deception made it hard to know how to be honest, sure. But why should Natasha accept anything less? And if he was trying to hit on her, he was doing a pretty lousy job of it.

“We... uh, we did. But you need to sign it.” He opened the envelope and produced an abnormally large piece of paper. It felt delicate and fancy as Natasha took it in hand. She placed it on the table. _Marriage application_ was bolded in blue ink at the top. Natasha saw that Fury had already signed it on the line marked groom. Nicholas J. Fury.

“You used your real name?” She generally wasn’t in the habit of teasing her superiors, but this seemed bold, even for him.

“Easier that way,” he shrugged. She didn’t press him, but she knew that he already had a college degree. Maybe he was going to play this one close to the chest. It was a trick that was not widely used in the spy world, but sometimes being as truthful as possible really helped solidify a cover.

She took the pen he offered, leaned down, and signed Natalie Rushman on the line marked bride. Her favorite alias. Natalie had several degrees, was fluent in five languages, and was a very worthy bride, unlike Natasha Romanov. Fury smiled when he looked at her signature. 

\---

**On the Plane**

They booked a commercial flight to protect their cover. She settled in next to him, her tablet in hand. He looked over at her and smiled casually. 

“If you are trying to be coy, it’s coming off as unsettling,” she said. She looked down at his left hand, and saw the gold band wrapped around his ring finger. She then looked at her own left hand, the square cut diamond reflecting the light streaming in from the plane window. The sight of the bands seemed so mundane, so natural. She had never pictured herself wearing one before.

“I picked yours out,” he said as he put his hand on her knee. 

“You did a fine job choosing, hun. It really is something.” Her voice was sugary sweet as she held her hand up to the light, examining her ring and playing up her fake marriage.

“You were a lovely bride.” He said it with such sincere conviction that she was slightly taken aback. Nat realized she had never seen him in action before, and she had to hand it to him. He was a convincing undercover agent. Even though she knew it was a lie, she savored the compliment and let him leave his hand on her for the rest of the flight.

\---

**At the Reception**

Natasha walked down the stairs to meet Fury, who had left earlier to check in with the rest of the SHIELD agents and ensure that the perimeter was secure. So far, everything was on-schedule. Their targets were going to give a speech, mingle with a few guests, and then Nat and Nick were going to graciously escort them to their rooms to ensure their exit strategy was secure for the next morning. 

Natasha was wearing a deep emerald dress that hugged her curves. It had a boat neckline, but she was wearing a rousari that covered her hair and fell onto her shoulders. Her dress had a small train, but she could easily pick it up and run if she had too. She liked wearing floor length dresses best, because it was easier for her to hide her thigh holster.

She waited at the foot of the staircase, casually scanning the lobby for anyone or anything suspicious. Guests were streaming in and heading towards the conference room, stopping at the check-in table to grab nametags. The engineer and his wife were in the green room, awaiting their cue to come onstage. That room was guarded by SHIELD agents, and no one was getting in or out without permission. She had them checking in every 10 minutes via her very normal looking bluetooth headset. So far, so good.

Then, she noticed Fury making his way across the crowded room. He wore a black tux with a skinny black tie, and tortoise shell glasses. He looked very James Bond - refined, dashing, smart. She sucked in a breath. 

“Good evening, wife.” He stretched out his left hand, and she took it.

“How’s the party going?” She asked with a smile, following him as he led her to her seat near the back of the room. Always ready for a quick exit.

“Smoothly, actually. I think we are good to go.” He was still smiling softly at her, and she felt her cheeks heating up. He didn’t drop her hand when they sat, and he leaned over and kissed her cheek while they waited. It was all so casual, like he didn’t even plan to. She relished the attention, even if she knew that it was all a game.

\---

**After the Reception**

They walked the engineer and his wife to their room upstairs, and safely saw them off to bed. They went back to their staging room and talked business. Natasha volunteered for first watch, peeled off her dress to reveal her tactical black outfit, and took up her post in what was supposed to be the living room of their suite. There was a bank of computers, all displaying different live feeds. They had set up security cameras earlier, to keep watch over their charges, and all of the entry and exit points to the hotel. The armored vehicles were due to arrive in a few hours, and those would need to be swept for bugs. And then the team would load up their gear and head out at first light. 

She was so busy cycling through the feeds and running through her mental checklist, she didn’t notice Fury hadn’t gone to sleep. 

She glanced over and saw him approach. He had taken off his jacket and his tie, and his white shirt sleeves were rolled up. The shirt really highlighted his muscled forearms and shoulders. She averted her eyes back to the screen. 

“Can’t sleep?” She asked casually.

“You know how it is before you finish a mission. Thought I’d keep you company.” Fury shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. He looked especially vulnerable like that, dressed casually without his big leather jacket or a pack of SHIELD agents all around him. It was rather disarming. Almost intimate.

“We aren’t at our best when we don’t sleep at all. That’s what you told me, Director.” 

“You could call me Nick, you know.” His voice was soft, caring, kind. None of which were traditionally useful traits as a SHIELD agent.

“No one does that,” she said as she turned to him. 

“Because I don’t let them.” He was inches from her face, and she could feel his breath against her lips. She hesitated, sure of what he was asking for but not sure that she could give it. He leaned forward and she closed the gap. She could let him have this, just for a moment. 

The kiss was chaste at first, delicate. He was asking her questions he didn’t know how to ask otherwise. She leaned up out of her chair, and he put his hands on the armrests, boxing her in. She should have felt trapped, but instead she felt safe. She sighed against his lips. Years of trusting him in all ways but one, and now it was like the pieces were finally slotting together.

He pulled back, a huge smile on his face. 

“It’s not so bad being Mrs. Fury, right?” He was teasing, but his voice had a note of seriousness. She looked up at him, feeling breathless. She remembered where she was, and started scanning the monitors again. 

“It has its perks. But someone still has to do the work around here,” she chastised. He rolled over a chair for himself, and sat next to her. They chatted like old friends, and Natasha forced away the thought that maybe Fury wasn’t just her director anymore. It was too exciting, too new, too extraordinary to contemplate right now, in the middle of a mission.

\---

**5 years later. After Natasha testified to the Senate Committee.**

That mission had gone to hell, thanks to the Winter Soldier. Natasha was in her apartment, waiting for Steve to call her. Surely he had seen her senate testimony by now. Natasha found herself thinking about that mission 5 years earlier, when it had been just her and Fury, and it had been so easy to believe that there could be more there. 

Apparently, he hadn’t let go of the notion. Not only had the marriage been about as real as it possibly could have been, but Fury hadn’t annulled it. The phone she kept, to maintain her Natalie Rushman cover - it was the number the hospital had dialed when Fury was brought in. 

Someone knocked on her door, pulling her out of her daydreams. Two sharp knocks, then silence. She pulled her sidearm out from between the couch cushions, and held it up as she approached the door. She looked through the peephole, and then stumbled backwards in shock. 

She was being haunted. There wasn’t an explanation otherwise. She took a few deep breaths, held up her gun with her right hand, and pulled open the door with her left.

“Who are you and what the fuck do you want?” She snarled.

Nick Fury looked back at her, sunglasses on instead of his eye patch, his hands raised in surrender.

“Let me come in and explain,” he said casually. Like he hadn’t just died.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” She pointed her gun at his head.

“Officially, I died being married to Natalie Rushman. And I don’t regret any of it.”

Natasha sucked in a breath. Only a few people knew that name, let alone that they had been married. Maybe it really was him.

“Walk in the room, slowly.” She motioned him inside and slammed the door behind him. She had her back up against it as she motioned for him to continue talking.

“5 years ago. We were undercover as a couple, protecting an engineer and his wife. I kissed you.” His words sent an icy shiver through her body. She had never told anyone that story. And it was certainly not in the mission after action report.

“Jesus Christ,” she murmured as she lowered her gun and wrapped her arms around him without thinking. A whirlwind of emotions cascaded over her. The pain and the grief was still there, but she felt as if she had broken through ice and could finally see the sun. It was then that she also realized the terrible truth of what he’d done to Steve, Maria, and everyone who cared about him. Including her. She drew back and slapped him across the face. He grimaced, but didn’t flinch.

“You deserved that. I saw your lifeless body. And you were really married to Natalie Rushman?” She waved her arms, feeling slightly hysterical. He couldn’t have let her in either of those things any sooner?

“I had to burn everything. Make a clean break. Make everyone believe it. You know I did. I knew you and Rogers could handle it,” he explained clumsily. He reached out for her again, and she didn’t pull away. She let him step forward and envelope her in his arms. Her body felt heavy, almost numb with relief, and she let her weight drop against him.

“That’s not the point,” she mumbled against his chest.

“A fresh start. Can I have that?” He asked her, his lips in her hair. She pulled back to look at him, his hands still on her elbows.

“No, but you can explain,” she countered. “And since Nick Fury and Natalie Rushman no longer exist, we could be whoever we want, now.” 

“But being Mrs. Fury wasn’t so bad, was it?” He smiled wide, and she couldn’t help but laugh. He was flirting with her. And he wasn’t her director anymore. He was just... Nick. Maybe he was right about that fresh start. Things were decidedly less complicated this way.

“I’m not sure, I didn’t really get to hold the title for very long.” She smirked at him and stepped away to click the sidearm safety back on.

“Well, how about I explain over dinner,” he offered, looking sheepish. She was slightly annoyed she couldn’t see his eye, which would have made it easier to read him, gauge what he was thinking. But his arms were crossed behind his back, and in his simple jeans and brown leather jacket, he looked humbled. Sincere. Maybe they could just go out on a date, the way other people did. 

So she accepted.

Natasha knew better than anyone that sometimes, when you gave someone a second chance, they could surprise you.


End file.
